I’ve been following today’s interviewee’s blog for a couple of years now and have always loved her style & insight. Now, I’m happy to introduce to you Sarah Morgan!

Two years ago, Sarah Morgan quit her job and ran off with the circus. Literally. And as a web designer, business consultant, entrepreneur, blogger, aerial instructor and, yes, circus performer, she’s spent the past couple of years encouraging and teaching others how to follow their own passions as boldly as she has—while wearing many hats.

Welcome, Sarah!

Your talents are so varied! But let’s start with joining the circus. How did you get into aerial arts, and when did you decide to make it a profession along with your fellow Weird Sisters?

I randomly signed up for an aerial class just over four years ago as something fun to do and trained for about two years before we began to perform. Over the next year we ended up booking a lot of shows and at the same time my design business had grown enough that I was able to make those my full-time occupations. Soon after I added teaching aerial to the list as well.

How do you discipline your body to stay fit for such a physically demanding job? Do you have a regular routine you abide by?

I teach six to eight classes a week, so just going to work keeps me in shape for aerial. Since I’m in the air so often it’s more about injury prevention than building strength or flexibility. My routine is what we cover in class: cardio, abs, climbing, skill-building, stretching.

Describe the most interesting/random/weird event you’ve ever performed in.

We perform at a giant Halloween show every year called Theatre Bizarre. It’s not weird at all to me, but the random person off the street might be totally shocked by what they find inside. Contortion, burlesque, suspension, fire spinning/eating, strange sideshow acts—there’s really no way to describe it, it’s something you have to experience. This past year we performed as super sexy bearded ladies and fit right in. Here’s a video.

On top of all that you also have your own successful web design business. How do you juggle these two very different jobs?

Calendars! I make sure to schedule everything and have five calendars to keep track of each aspect of my life. (That sounds nuts now that I’ve written it down, haha.) I don’t adhere to a super strict schedule for design work, which keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, but I know what needs to get done and when.

What are some of the biggest challenges that come with your professions? Do you ever experience self-doubt?

Personally, because I have two full-time jobs, it’s making sure I schedule my life in a way that I have time to take care of myself. Today I had rehearsal for three hours, then I came home and worked, and then I go back to the studio to teach and rehearse for two hours tonight. I have enough work to put me in the air or in front of my computer 16 hours a day every single day, so I’ve gotten really good at saying no and taking on only what I can handle.

I generally don’t feel self-doubt, which makes me sound like an over-confident jerk I’m sure. I suppose that if I’m going to do something I’m just going to do it, and worrying if I’m not good enough or going to fail isn’t helpful. I’m aware of both possibilities, but I deal with it after the fact instead of letting it slow me down or stop me from what I want to accomplish.

What was it like making the leap to total self-employment? Are you happier on this new path?

I had gotten to the point of being so unhappy at my corporate job I was essentially a real-life version of the movie Office Space. When I decided I was going to leave about 9 months before my escape, I became super motivated and excited to work on my side hustle. I prepared enough in advance that when my last day at work arrived I didn’t have any worries. It felt extremely freeing and I’m so so much happier working for myself.

If you could live by one mantra, what would it be?

“Whether you think you can or think you cant, you’re right” – Henry Ford (there’s that no self-doubt thing again!)

What are some of your favorite books? Favorite blogs?

I really loved Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Actionby Simon Sinek. It’s about marketing your business by sharing why you do what you do instead of what you do. AKA “I’m passionate about helping creative businesses build online homes that allow them to share what they love” vs. “I’m a web designer who makes beautiful and functional websites.” It really changed the way I market my business and my blog.

Dear Sarah, I was reading this interview and was just wondering: Did anybody ever try to stop you from doing what you do now or tried to talk you out of this career? How did you actually know this is what you really wanted to do? Did you have something like a “plan of action” to keep you focused on your goal. It would be nice to hear from you – I am writing an assignment about unusual career choices :). Many thanks and kind regards, Isabel